Dr Priya Atwal Looks at the Nineteenth Century Sikh Royal Court

Oxford University fellow gives this month's talk for the local history society

Historian Dr Priya Atwal

October 1, 2026

The Ealing Branch of the Historical Association will turn its attention to the women of the Sikh royal court this month, hosting a lecture that promises to shed new light on the power dynamics behind one of the most compelling figures of nineteenth-century South Asian history.

On Tuesday 13 October at 7.30pm, historian Dr Priya Atwal will speak at Ealing Green Church (W5 5QT) on The Power Behind the Throne: The Women Who Built Maharajah Ranjit Singh’s Kingdom. The event forms part of the branch’s autumn programme and is open to all those interested in global history, empire and the often-overlooked figures who shaped it.

Dr Atwal, Community History Fellow at the University of Oxford, is the author of Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire. Her work examines monarchy, empire and cultural politics across nineteenth-century Britain and South Asia, and she has advised organisations including Historic Royal Palaces. Her research places the Sikh royal family’s women at the centre of political life, challenging the long-standing focus on Maharajah Ranjit Singh alone.

The lecture will explore the queens, princesses and courtly women who helped build, govern and defend the Sikh Empire during its dramatic rise — and the family rivalries, court politics and British expansion that contributed to its eventual collapse. It offers a rare opportunity to hear fresh scholarship on a period that continues to resonate in both British and South Asian historical narratives.

The event is open to members and visitors. Membership costs £15 per year, while visitors can attend individual talks for £5 with no charge for students. Tickets for this lecture are available via Eventbrite.

Meetings are usually held on the second Tuesday of each month at Ealing Green Church at 7.30pm, with the exception of the November meeting which takes place at Twyford School at 6.30pm. Talks are live events but with the speaker’s permission the association aims to make a recording available afterwards to those registering on Eventbrite (the booking link will be available on the society's website one month in advance of each talk).